Marie Angélique de La Tour d'Auvergne
Mlle. Marie Angélique de La Tour d'Auvergne (July 1740 - Présent) known as Mademoiselle d'Auvergne, was the daughter of Jean, Seigneur de la Varbe, Lieutenant to the Emperor in the Auvergne and Aimée-Eléonore de Plas. Angélique was born into a financially embarrassed branch of La Tour d'Auvergne. As she grew into a stunning beauty her family saw that she could be their ticket to wealth and social success by sending her to Argenteuil. She arrived at court and joined the household of Isabelle-Adélaïde, Madame, la Duchesse d'Orléans. Indeed, Angélique was very beautiful, with golden cheveux roux, classically perfect features and blue-grey tinted eyes. Yet according to Isabelle-Adélaïde she was not very sensible and was lead rather by her sentimental heart than common sense. Born in July 1740 at the Château de Cropières in Upper Auvergne, Mademoiselle d'Auvergne had an exquisite complexion, a sweet smile and an expression at once tender and modest. Though beautiful and ethereal, Angélique was a blushing innocent and excessively humble. Biography Youth Marie Angélique de La Tour d'Auvergne was born in July 1740 at the Château de Cropières in Upper Auvergne, sud-central Grandelumérie. She was born to Sr. Jean de La Tour d'Auvergne, Lieutenant to the Emperor in the Auvergne, and D''. Aimée-Eléonore de Plas. Jean d'Auvergne served on several occasions during the minority of Emperor Louis XIV. Angélique was the third daughter of the couple who had 7 children (3 sons, 4 daughters). Though Angélique could boast some impressive connections to House Blois, Penthièvre, Soissons, Rohan, and predominantly Rochechouart de Mortemart, she came from a disadvantaged background. Angélique's beauty was acknowledged quickly during her youth, which gave her parents the idea to bring her up with everything necessary to become the Emperor's ''maîtresse one day. As such, she was raised knowing how to dance, to sing, to write, to ride, and the etiquette of the Grandelumérian court. Adolescence At 17, Angélique travelled to Paris where she resided with Catherine Henriette d'Harcourt, Duchesse d'Arpajon. César d'Auvergne, a relation via Sr. de la Vabre, saw her during a visit and was so captivated by her beauty, that he proposed to take her to court always keeping in mind that if she should indeed catch the eye of the Emperor, their family might prosper. Mademoiselle d'Auvergne herself was quite taken with the idea of living at court and to capture the heart of the Emperor. Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye was to be the setting of the meeting between Angélique and Emperor. It had been planned that Angélique was to keep quiet before her ceremonial introduction to court but it had so happened that the Emperor spied the Mademoiselle as she was walking above him upon a terrace. The Emperor, so captivated by her beauty, broke with etiquette and went to introduce himself to Angélique. This unintentional faux-paux on the part of Angélique turned out to her benefit, the Emperor was besotted: "Her beauty is fresh and unforced, something that has not been seen at court for a long time." Appearance & Countenance Monseigneur was said of Angélique: "she is beautiful as an angel, with a good heart, but stupid as a basket." and another: "You could not see anything more wonderful than her.” Angélique made quite the impression on everyone. Madame la Princesse, still somewhat beautiful at 48, had to admit that Angélique had: "beauty enough." In reality, her "foolishness" was rather a lack of culture, qualities that one had to have to shine at the Court. All her contemporaries agree in recognizing her beauty: very light brown hair, reddish-tinged, very light complexion, extremely beautiful and fine-cut, melancholy look, well-cut mouth, perfectly beautiful teeth; her accomplished height was above average and gave her a noble gait and a queen's bearing. Titles, Styles, and Honours * July 1740 - Présent Mademoiselle d'Auvergne Category:Grandelumierian Nobility Category:House La Tour d'Auvergne Category:18th Century Births